Mainer reprints Adams genealogy

John Adams married Sarah Fairbank on Sept. 24, 1713, and they had nine children born in Wrentham, Mass.

A good many descendants of this pair moved to Maine, to communities such as Portland, Wellington, Camden, Hampden and Baring.

The 139-page “Genealogy of the Adams Family,” written by Gardner Adams in 1874, is not very plentiful, though Bangor Public Library does have a copy.

So Richard D. Kelly Jr. of Augusta decided to reprint the book through his O’Ceallaigh Publications, and to add a Maine map showing the many locations where these Adams families lived.

The book includes the genealogy of the paternal family of Kelly’s wife, Nancy G. Adams-Kelly. Moreover, Kelly wanted to see the book available to more libraries and interested researchers.

The most well-known Adamses in the book, Kelly believes, may be Joel Adams and wife Jemima Robbins.

“They gained fame as the main characters in the Ben Ames Williams novel ‘Come Spring,’ first published in 1940,” Kelly wrote. The novel is set in the town of Union.

Among the Adams families I find in Hampden in the 1820s and later are those of:

• Addison Adams and Adelia (Thayer).

• Timothy P. Adams and Rhoda (Whitney).

• Leander S. Adams and Abby (Thayer).

• Cyrus Adams and Marion W. (Dean).

• Benjamin A. Adams and Sarah M. Greenhalgh.

Two of the sons of Cyrus and Marion Adams, Cyrus Wesley and Albert A., joined the Ninth Regiment Maine Volunteers during the Civil War.

Sailing from Annapolis to Port Royal, S.C., “they were out in a terrible gale, in which the whole fleet came near being lost. They were present at the capture of Port Royal by Commodore Dupont, and were stationed at Hilton Head until the last of January, when they were ordered to Fernandilla, Fla.”

Wesley was taken prisoner and held at three prisons before being exchanged, but he soon died.

Albert was with the regiment when it took Morris Island, and also fought in the Bermuda Hundreds. His troop joined the Eighteenth Army Corps and marched to Petersburg. Albert was in 28 battles and skirmishes.

Not everyone in the book has so much written about them, but there is certainly a lot of information in it.

You may purchase Gardner Adams’ “Genealogy of the Adams Family,” postpaid and tax included, for $12, sent to O’Ceallaigh Publications, 62 Davenport St., Augusta, ME 04330.

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The next meeting of the Penobscot County Genealogy Society will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21, in the Lecture Room at Bangor Public Library. The topic is people who lived in Bangor and are buried there.

City Council chairman Mayor Gerry G.M. Palmer, a lifelong resident and respected historian of Bangor, plans to talk about the famous guests at the Bangor House.

In addition, he will share some history of Mount Hope Cemetery along with information about some of the famous people buried there.

Also will be told the story of Seth Noble, how Bangor received its name, and Al Brady. If time permits, there will be a question-and-answer period.

Overall, it will be a quick snapshot of some of the famous people who have lived and were buried in Bangor. As always, everyone is welcome and refreshments will be served.